Leading European Union politicians are proposing to further relax the EU’s planned restrictions on internal‑combustion‑engine cars. According to the “Handelsblatt”, both the German federal government and members of the EU Parliament are considering loosening the so‑called “phase‑out” of combustion cars even more.
The European Commission only recently pushed forward a relaxation of the emissions rules to take effect in 2035. The party groups in the EU consider the Commission’s draft insufficient. Originally, the EU plan was to allow new cars only if they emitted no climate‑harmful CO₂ from 2035 onward. The Commission’s proposal would require car manufacturers to cut the CO₂ emissions of their entire fleet by 90 % compared with the 2021 reference year, while permitting the remaining 10 % to be offset in other ways-for example, through the use of green steel or climate‑friendly fuels.
The core of the parties’ current proposals is to lower the target to 80 % and to remove the requirement for full offsetting through other measures. They are also questioning the Commission’s guidelines for converting company‑car fleets to electric power. EU MEP Jens Gieseke of the CDU said that the Commission’s proposal must be “significantly improved” because the fate of the automotive sector and the EU’s competitiveness are at stake.
The federal government’s stance remains unclear. The Environment Ministry, led by the SPD, has so far opposed any further easing of the combustion‑car ban, and a spokesperson declined to comment at this time. An inquiry to the CDU‑led Ministry of Economic Affairs was answered that the regulation should “allow flexibility and technological openness”.
